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MOSCOW (AP) — Russia's athletics boss suggests he will fight any attempt to strip banned Russian walkers of medals from the 2012 London Olympics.
Federation president Valentin Balakhnichev said he would resist any such move at the Court of Arbitration for Sport, telling Russian media "we have the ability to go to CAS."
Five walkers were banned last week for violating biological passport rules. They had results annulled as far back as 2009, affecting five gold medals from the 2009 and 2011 world championships, but not a gold and silver won by them at the 2012 Olympics.
Australia's athletics federation, whose athlete Jared Tallent finished second behind now-banned Russian Sergei Kirdyapkin in the men's Olympic 50-kilometer race, is lobbying for the sanctions to be extended to cover the Olympics.
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